Back in March, we noted a rash of home invasion burglaries breaking out north of the Panhandle. And in the Haight, a distinct trend in car burglaries has been noted over the past couple of months, with the latest tactic being the theft of garage door openers, out of either locked or unlocked cars, as a way to break into homes and steal bicycles and electronics.
While Park Station police have focused on informing residents and merchants about car burglary prevention and general vigilance, this Monday alone saw three early morning hot prowl burglaries in the area: one on Central between Fulton and McAllister, and two on Downey between Frederick and Waller.
The incident on Central involved a woman who had left her front door unlocked to move her car; when she returned home shortly before 7am, a burglar (a man, described as around 30 years old) was inside the house, even though the woman's roommate was inside. After he'd left, the victim realized her house and car keys were missing.
The two incidents on Downey Street were reported as taking place at around the same time, and could conceivably have involved the same suspect. In the first, the victim woke to find a burglar in her bedroom at 6am. He fled when confronted, taking the victim's laptop with him.
In the second, the time of the incident is imprecise (between 4:30 and 9:30am) and no suspect was seen, but two bicycles were stolen and the garage and inside of the house had been rummaged while the victim slept.
At the time of this post, Park Station hasn't responded as to whether these incidents represent a larger trend in home burglaries in addition to auto burglaries. Recent police records show hot prowl burglaries also occurring on the 900 block of Ashbury at 3:30am on June 5th; the 600 Block of Stanyan at around 2pm on May 18th; and the 1600 block of Page at 11pm on May 2nd.
Tips for preventing burglaries include keeping your doors and windows locked; being vigilant of access points from neighboring buildings, roofs and yards; and keeping your garage door opener out of sight.
